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I REMEMBER DAWSON - SOME EARLY HISTORY
Dawson, Texas.. .and Western Navarro County....... remained for centuries as nothing more
than a wild expanse of prairie that lay on the edge of the Great Plains of North America.
It was an area that offered little vegetation except prairie grass and mesquite and
occasional stands of scrub post oak on the almost level ground. Water was often
scarce and any large trees..pecan, willow, oaks, elms, and cottonwood... were to be found
only on the banks of small creeks and branches that had cut scars through the fertile
soils.
Buffalo, deer, elk, and antelope roamed free except when indian tribes came into the area
to harvest sufficient meat to carry tribes through the year. Wild horses were, also, to be
found in the area, but they were newcomers, decedents of animals brought to America by
early Spanish explorers.
Territorial claims on the area had passed from one European nation to another until Mexico
achieved independence and immigration to Texas began. Several "Empresarios" from
the United States and from Europe secured rights from the Mexican government to
settle vast areas of Texas, Stephen F. Austin being one of the first and most notable.
Dawson's history actually began in "The Lowlands" of Southwest Scotland and
Northwestern England, areas where waring clans had fought fierce battles, had developed an
intense spirit of independence, and created a deep seated Christian faith twelve hundred
years before Dawson was organized. It was in the 6th Century that St.
Columba, a contemporary of St. Patrick, gathered a small band of troubadours and sailed
from Bangor, Ireland to the coast of Scotland. Their beginning Christian faith was
expanded when John Calvin disowned the papacy of the Roman Catholic church and conveyed
his attempt to recover the character or the New Testament church to a young man whose name
was John Knox.
John Knox, a Scot, happened to have been in Geneva at the time and studied under John
Calvin, ultimately returning to his home in Scotland and brought with him the tenants of
Christianity espoused by Calvin. Those tenants included...
1. Rejection of the monarchical episcopacy of the Catholic church
2. Each church..or Kirk..had Ruling Elders and a minister
3. Scholarship of all individuals was stressed
4. Missionary activity was demanded
5. Immorality was not to be tolerated
When James VI of England, formerly James I of Scotland, opened five counties of North
Ireland for settlement many Scots who lived a short distance across the Irish Sea took
advantage of the opportunity offered. Thousands of Scotland's finest brought their
families to Ireland, most choosing lands in Co. Down and Co. Antrim, areas nearest the
Sottish coast.
The Scottish families who lived in North Ireland were industrious and soon developed a
flourishing economy. The flax industry boomed. The Scots had brought sheep to
Ireland and the wool industry expanded. Every small cottage boasted a spinning wheel
and a large weaving loom and the girls and women of the families became proficient in
their use. Farming techniques of the Scots were far better than the crude efforts of the
typical Irish.
Study of the early populations of central Co. Down...reveals an abundance of names found
in the early history of Western Navarro County, Texas. Names such as
Hill, Lawrence, McCandless, Fullerton, Johnston, Williamson, McKeown, Harrison, Wilson,
Thompson, Davidson, Floyd, Harris, Shaw, Adams, Lyle, Dickinson, Garner, Savage,
Patterson, Murphy, Graham, Moore, McCulloch, Hull, Barnes, Wright, Love, McGaughey,
McReynolds, Peden, McVeigh, Connor, Currie, Young, Ellis, Martin, Porter, Millar, Kelly,
Kilgore, Gardiner, McMillin, Rea, Stewart, Parker, Hutchinson, Mills, Caskie, Sellar,
Matthews, Fulton, Finley, and Dawson....to list a few.
John McCandless was typical of many who lived in North Ireland and whose families
evantually settled in Western Navarro Co. Texas. John McCandles was born in 1750 in Co.
Down. He sailed from Belfast, June 5,1772 and arrived at New Castle, Delaware August
26, a voyage of eight-two days. He lived for a few months in Baltimore, Maryland and
moved to Mechlenburg Co, North Carolina. It was said that John McCandless was
drafted into military service and served with distinction for three years in the
Revolutionary War. He began military service as a wagoner and, later, served as a
mounted horseman. He moved to Blount Co, Tennessee in 1799, but settled a few years
later to Maury Co. He lived his last years on a monthly pension of $23.33 and died
c. 1840 at near ninety.
RICHMOND COUNTY, GEORGIA
Dread Dawson had come to Southeast Mexican Texas in 1818 and settled sixty miles north of
present day Beaumont. He was, originally, from Georgia, but had migrated to
southeast Alabama when the Creek Indian Wars were over and the Indians move out. The
family moved, again, in 1818 to an area sixty miles north of present day Beaumont,
Texas. The family lived there seven or eight years before moving north to the
Robertson Colony centered around Fort Franklin and his son, Brit, settled a few years
later in Western Navarro Co. The Dawson family was said to have been from Greene Co.
Georgia which was originally part of Richond Co. The Dawsons had been there
before 1790. David Dawson, Richmond Dawson, and Brittain Dawson who turned out
to be Brit's grandfather.
The surprise came with the discovery that there were many, many other names associated
with Western Navarro Co. a century later. William Barron, Dr. George Graves, John
Sidwell, Robert Parrish, Jean Hull, Martha McMillan, William Skinner, John Love, William C
Lawrence, Henry McCullough, William Hoge, Robert Savage...on an on the list
continued. John Clemons married Ann Wilson in 1798. And
Michael Silbert, aJewish merchant with the same name as H Silbert who came to Dawson in
the 1890's as a Jewish merchant. Fullertons married Doves. John Flint married
Margaret Butler.There was Frederick Sims and Jim and Lewis Lee. There were
name of Loveless, Walker, Wright, andHill.
The Spence Family was there in 1790. They were traced to Illinois, to
Missouri, to Western Navarro Co. where David Spence married a daughter of Brit Dawson.
THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF NASHVILLE
The area of present day Dawson, Texas can trace its beginning to a group formed in the
1820's in Nashville, Tennessee when seventy prominent individuals of that state formed The
Texas Association. The base of operations was The Farmers and Merchants Bank in
Nashville, a bank that had been formed primarily by members of the Robertson family and a
young Tennessee politician whose name was Sam Houston.
The original intent of The Texas Association was to have the seventy members of the
organization migrate to Texas and create an empire similar to what the Robertsons,
Blounts, Seviers and others had created when the Tennessee Territory opened. Their
intentions included recruiting doctors, attorneys, successful farmers, teachers,
merchants, etc. rather than backwoodsmen and adventurers.
It was in the year 1825 that The Texas Association sent Robert Leftwich to Texas to confer
with Mexican officials in an attempt to secure settlement rights similar to those given
Stephen F. Austin. Leftwich, in time, made arrangements with the Mexican government
to settle eight hundred families in an area north of The Old San Antonio Road and
generally between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers. The northern boundary did not appear to
have been defined and included parts of present day Tarrant and Dallas Counties..and,
Dawson, Texas.
Leftwich may or may not have known the extent of the land area included in the permission
given him by the Mexican government, but it was huge. At least twelve Texas
counties...Robertson, Falls, Limestone, Leon, Freestone, McClennan, Hill, Johnson,
Tarrant, Ellis, and Dallas...would be formed from the area.
Leftwich had been careful to obtain the rights of settlement in his own name rather than
in the name of The Texas Association and when he returned to Nashville he offered to sell
"HIS rights" to The Texas Association..and did..for $8,000.00. The Texas
Association went public on January l, 1826 and was prepared to offer vast spaces of cheap
land for settlement. However, the Mexican government began changing laws adversely
affecting settlement of the Texas area by Americans and interest in Texas waned. Migration
to Texas decreased to a standstill.
Sterling Clack Robertson, a nephew of the President of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, had
made a trip to Texas in 1825, perhaps, with Leftwich, and was impressed with what he had
seen. He had been an employee of the bank, but was, perhaps, better known in South Middle
Tennessee as a Land Broker. Sterling Clack Robertson was the son of Elijah Robertson and a
nephew of General James Robertson. His father and uncles had received huge land
grants when the Tennessee Territory had first opened. Deeds recorded in South Middle
Tennessee counties are filled with transactions where Sterling Clack Robertson bought or
sold properties. He was especially active in Maury County, Giles County, Warren County,
Marshall County, and Lincoln County, all adjacent counties in the Duck River area.
Those counties produced families with such names as Caskey, Richey, Davidson, Stewart,
Hill, Matthews, Slaughter, Lawrence, McCandless. Dempsey, Cathy. Wright, Morgan, Stockard,
Johnson, Barber...all names associated with early Western Navarro County.
Sterling Clack Robertson had served as Assistant Quartermaster to General Andrew Jackson
during the War of 1812. During the years following the War of 1812 and into the early
1820', he was involved in banking and real estate transactions. He had married Francis
King and their son, Elijah, was born in 1820. It was time to settle down, but he was
filled with the same adventurous spirit that had led his father and uncles into the
Tennessee Territory. Their adventurous spirit had made them wealthy and politically
powerful individuals in Tennessee.
Mexican Grants provided each family One League of Land..4428 acres of land plus 177
acres..A Labor..for farming purposes. The price for each League was $30.00. Farming land
that was watered..adjacent to a creek or river...was $3.50 for each Labor. Grazing
land was priced at $2.50 for each labor. Payments were in three
installments..nothing down, one third payment the fourth year, one third the fifth, and
one third the sixth year.
Sterling Clack Robertson viewed Texas as his opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his
Father and Uncles and determined to carry through with the original plan of the Texas
Association. He began to actively recruit families for the project. Robertson's
determination was such that he sold some of his land holdings in Giles County, Tennessee
to David and John McCandless and Robert Richey. These families would join Robertson
at a later time in Texas and become early settlers in the Dawson area.
The first contract issued by The Texas Association was to Robert Johnson of Maury Co.
Tennessee....dated April 26, 1830. Sterling Clack Robertson led Robert Johnson and
an unknown number of others to the "Settlement Area" in 1830. Many of that
original group had been recruited from Maury Co, Giles Co., and Lincoln Co...all adjacent
counties in Southern Middle Tennessee. That original group made the journey to Texas on
horseback, traveling to Memphis, then through Little Rock, Arkansas...down to the old
settlement at Nacogdoches..and over to an area that would later be known as Ft.
Franklin...named for Robertson's home town.
Some of the earliest names found in deed records of the area were William Beasley who had
obtained 4400 acres, "one league on Bedias Creek;" W. C. J. Hill, who claimed
"one league on the waters of the Yegua;" Elisha Boren; David Love and his
children, John C, Nancy,and Sam; and David Dawson.
Robertson returned to Tennessee, probably in the fall of 1830, and began more serious
recruitment. Robertson's second group assembled in Nashville on March 29, 1831 to
begin the journey to Texas. The horseback ride in 1830 must have made some
unfavorable impression on Robertson and the 1831 trip was by water. The group
boarded the steamship, Criterian, at some point on the Tennessee River and traveled north
to Smithland, Kentucky, a river port on the Ohio River. The group traveled down the
Ohio..down the Mississippi..to New Orleans.
Schooners...sailing vessels with two or more masts..plied the waters between New Orleans
and Texas on a regular basis. The journey to Harrisburg...present day Houston,
Texas...usually took seven to eight days depending upon weather. Robertson and his
group, probably, landed at the mouth of the Brazos and moved upstream on small flat
bottomed boats that transported passengers and cargo up and down the Texas rivers.
The group may have stopped at San Felipe de Austin on their way upstream...the center of
Stephen F. Austin's colony. Another point to stop may have been
Washington-on-the-Brazos where, six years later, sixty brave men would meet and construct
the Declaration of Independence for Texas. Sterling Clack Robertson would be among them.
The river journey ended at the ferry landing located at the point where the Old San
Antonio Road crossed the Brazos River. Robertson had, probably, arranged for wagons
to be waiting at the ferry to move the new settlers the thirty or so miles to Fort
Franklin.
Robertson continued to make trips to Tennessee, each time returning to Texas with more
families. He was in Tennessee in the fall of 1835 when Sam Houston...now in Texas
and involved in the political turmoil there..issued a call for"Tennessee
Volunteers." The "Call for Volunteers" was printed in the Franklin,
Tennessee newspaper on October 30, 1835.
Robertson returned to Texas that fall with one hundred and four families, and eight single
men. Sixty-one additional families were under contract and waiting in Tennessee for
passage. Robert Harve Matthews, aged twenty-one, had arrived at Fort Franklin on
December l, l835. His sister, aged twenty-three, had come with her husband of six
months, a widower with three children, Francis Slaughter. Slaughter may have been in
the employe of Robertson and may have made his first trip to Texas in 183l.
Another sister, Martha (Patsy) Matthews and her family, were, probably, among the families
waiting in Tennessee for passage and arrived at Fort Franklin at some point in 1836.
Her husband, a first cousin, James D. Matthews, ran for the office of Coroner on January
1, 1837..and won...24-23. Robertson County was not heavily populated at the
time. The population in 1840 listed a total of nine-hundred-thirty-four
persons...640 white, 294 black.
Robertson had known Sam Houston in Nashville and lost no time after his return to Fort
Franklin forming a command for Houston's army. Capt. Robertson and his group,
including Robert Harve Matthews, joined Sam Houston on the west bank of the Colorado River
where Houston had set up a training camp.
Most able bodied men had left the frontier settlements to serve in Houston's army and
Indian groups took advantage of the opportunity to raid unprotected areas. Sam Houston
learned of the raids and ordered Robertson and his men to return to Fort Franklin to
protect the settlements. It was in the spring of that year that Elder Parker's small fort,
located near the headwaters of "The Navasot", was attacked and children,
including Cynthia Ann Parker, taken prisoner by the Indians. Robertson and his men
would obey the orders given, but they would miss San Jacinto by ten days. The
victory at San Jacinto resulted in independence for Texas and the formation of The
Republic of Texas.
Spring Hill is said to have been the earliest settlement in present day Navarro County,
but most students of Texas history are of the opinion that Melton's settlement and the
settlement of Chambers Creek preceded Spring Hill. The Spring Hill claim is based on the
assumption that Dr. George Washington Hill constructed a Trading Post cabin there in
1838. However, Dr. Hill was busy from 1838 to 1844 serving as a member of the Texas
Congress and as Secretary of War and Marine under both Presidents Houston and Anson
Jones. He..may..have visited the area in his duties as Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, a part of his duty as Secretary of War, but no substantive record has been found
that settles Dr. Hill in the area in 1838.
Walter P Lane, one of the last living survivors of the 1838 Battle Creek Massacre near
Dawson, wrote from Marshall, Texas, May 18, 1885 and gave a detailed account of the days
prior to and following the battle. Gen. Lane made no mention of a Trading Post or of
Dr. George Washington Hill.
More....Dr. Hill is listed on the Tax Rolls of Robertson County through 1848. His
name appears on the Navarro Tax Roll for the first time in 1849. Based on those
documents, Dr. Hill probably made the move to the Indian Springs area in 1848.
Regardless of "when" he came, Dr. Hill is considered "The Father of Spring
Hill." Other families who were among those early Spring Hill Area settlers were
John Treadwell, David and Joshua Onstott, Thomas Williams, Simeon Meek, Fred K. Williams,
Thomas Wright, Warren Sidwell, Elisha Wyman, William Cannon, and William Ritchie.
Others names include..Evans, Roberts, Graham, and The Lee Brothers.
Additional names included in the list by 1850 were...Jacob Faller, Sam Price, Thomas
Morgan, Joseph Robertson, Robert Slaughter, Robert Harve Matthews, Louis Slayton, and
Martha (Patsy) Matthews whose husband had died at Fort Franklin in August 1844.
The year 1838 is significant, however, in that twenty-four men, including Walter P Lane
mentioned above, on a surveying mission from Fort Franklin had set up their camp near the
Indian Springs in present day Western Navarro County. Soon afterwards, a large party
of Kickapoo Indians arrived and began to occupy a camping area near the springs.
They were said to be from Arkansas and were there for their annual Buffalo hunt. The
indians were concerned and rightly so... that the presence of the surveyors would bring
more settlers who would destroy their hunting ground and warned the surveyors to leave the
area.
Several days later, the surveying party was working two to three miles west of the Indian
Springs and was ambushed by the indians. Seventeen members of the party were killed,
several others severely wounded. The date was October 8, 1838 and the ambush was a mile or
so northwest of present day Dawson.
Many versions of the Battle Creek Massacree have been handed down through the years.
One story stated that Susannah Cannon, wife of Britton Dawson, gathered bones of the dead
surveyors in her apron and carried them to the "Twin Trunked Oak" under which
the bones were buried. Some historians have discounted that version based on the
fact that Brit Dawson did not arrive in the area until 1847 and did not marry Sussana
Cannon until 1848.
That story may have had some validity. The Richey family had purchased Maury Co
Tennessee land from Sterling Clack Robertson in 1831 and...may...have come to Ft. Franklin
with the McCandless family in 1835. Richey, who had married Sussana Cannon's mother,
was already in the area when Brit Dawson arrived with his herd of cattle in 1847. It
is not known just how long the Richey family had been in the area, but they had,
apparently been there for some time. It is possible that they were living in the
area in 1838 and that Sussana did, indeed, assist in collecting the bones of the dead.
Conflicts with indians in the area, oftimes under the leadership of Chief Jose Maria,
sometimes called "Iron Eyes," continued for several years. Jose Maria was
not, from all reports, involved in the Battle Creek Massacree. One fight in 1839 became a
hand to hand conflict. Robert Harve Matthews, by then a Texas Ranger, and several
others, had cornered some indian horse thieves in a Post Oak thicket at some unnamed
location north of Fort Franklin. Jose Maria had established an indian village on the
west bank of the Brazos River at some point between present day Waco and Hillsboro, Texas
George Washington Hill married Robert Harve Matthews's sister c. 1847. Minerva
Catherine Matthews Slaughter's husband had died leaving her with three young
children. Hill soon moved his new family to a Trading Post at the Indian Springs and
Robert Harve Matthews went with them. The village that began to be constructed was
some distance south of what later became the community of Spring Hill remembered by those
living today. That early village was built around Dr. Hill's Trading Post and the
cemetery located on his land. A dirt wagon trail that some called "The
Cowhead Road" ran east and west on the north side of the cemetery and connected on
the East with a north-south road that ran north to Richland Creek crossing and south to
the Brit Dawson place.
A U. S. Post Office was established at the Trading Post in 1848 and George Hill was named
Postmaster. New families from Tennessee and other states began to arrive and the
area around the springs was beginning to fill with people. Navarro County had been carved
from Robertson County and Hill County, named for George Washington Hill, had been carved
from Navarro County.
Population of Navarro County, Texas
1850 2190
1860 5996 173.8%
1870 8879 48%
1880 21702 144%
1890 26373 21.5%
1900 43874 66.3%
1910 47070 7.2%
1920 50624 7.5%
1930 60507 19.5%
1940 51308 (17.4%)
1950 39916 (28.5%)
1960 34,428 (13.9%)
1982 36,423 6.5%
It was in 1857 that Robert Harve Matthews paid George Washington Hill five hundred dollars
for five hundred acres of land located a short distance north from the Trading Post. Hill
had purchased the land five years earlier...fifteen hundred acres..for five hundred
dollars from a relative. Matthews, a surveyor, platted the land into farm lots, town lots,
wide streets, areas for churches and stores. He recorded the plat on the flyleaf of
the County Clerk's book at the courthouse in Corsicana and called the new town...Spring
Hill, Texas. He may have named it after a community in his native Maury Co.
Tennessee. And...Maury County had a Richland Creek.
Spring Hill, Texas grew. There were blacksmith shops, wheelwrights, a cotton gin, a
rock quarry, a saddle shop, a flour mill, several saloons, drug stores, a school, post
office, a brick kiln, and a lodge hall. Spring Hill had the distinction of having at least
one building consisting of a wood pole frame covered with Buffalo hide. The structure was
situated on three and one-half acres deeded on April 26, 1874 by Robert Harve Matthews and
witnesed by F A McSpadden and T J Haynes. The building was used as a church and as a
school which Matthews suggested be called..Spring Hill Academy. Spring Hill had
truly come into its own.
The 1880's ushered in the Age of the Railroad and the steel ribbons were to be seen in
almost every area of Texas. The Texas and St. Louis Railroad had laid track to
Corsicana and was seeking to establish a route from Corsicana to Waco. Robert Harve
Matthews, now sixty-six years old...still unmarried..was a large land owner in the
Spring Hill area. The story handed down was that "Uncle Harve" placed a
ruler on a map and drew a line from Corsicana to Waco and that the line went
"smack" in the middle of Spring Hill, Texas...his town. "Uncle
Harve" probably had visions of making millions of dollars selling the right of way
and continuing to develop Spring Hill.
What "Uncle Harve" didn't know was that the sons of Britton Dawson and a lawyer
from Corsicana whose name was Sam Frost were busy negotiating with the railroad.
They were wanting the railroad to be constructed approximately three miles south of Spring
Hill, and they were offering " free right of way" to the Railroad.
And..that was where the railroad went.
The railroad crossed the creek at a point in the Akers Bottom, well south of Spring Hill,
and moved west just north of the two story home Britton Dawson had built on his place
twenty years earlier. When the rail lines reached a few miles west of the Dawson
home a new town had been platted and lots were ready to be sold. The first lots were
sold July 21, 1881. The new town was called Dawson. Dawson was off and running...and
Spring Hill began to die.
Lots sold at a brisk pace the first day of the sale and not a few were purchased by
residents and merchants of Spring Hill. The rapid residential construction quickly
brought construction of all manner of stores and services. R. B. Marsh moved his
drug store from Spring Hill. Brit Dawson's daughter, Mandy, and her husband, J. S.
Dickson, opened a dry goods store. J. M. Johnson, an early merchant of Spring Hill, moved
his store to Dawson. Two Spring Hill doctors set up a new practice in Dawson. Even
the Spring Hill Masonic Lodge was moved to Dawson in 1884. Robert Harve Matthews
recognized that Dawson was to be the area's center of commerce and even made the move to
Dawson himself. He built a large two story home just north of the business district
and opened a store.
One document written by Joseph Calvin Matthews states,
"Sam R Frost made Deed to J N Matthews, J M Johnson, and A Cook
for The Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Dated June 28th 1882
Recorded in vol 39 Page 620
This Presbyterian Church site was on the corner just South of the present day Baptist
Church. A Church building was constructed there, but moved later to its present
site.
A Guidebook to the Texas & St. Louis Railway, 1883, reported that Dawson, Texas,
located 21 miles from Corsicana and 35 miles from Waco, had a population of about 800 and
that real estate values had increased 100%. J A Davis, Justice of the Peace, stated
that 275 deeds had been recorded from December 1882-August 1883. The Dawson Masonic
Institute, a graded public school under the direction of Prof. E J L Wyrick, had enrolled
more than 125 pupils. The new building had cost $5,000.00. The town had ruled
against the sale of liquor and never had a saloon.
The Dawson BANNER, a weekly newspaper, was edited by C H Hanson. Residential lots sold for
$30-$50, business lots were $200-$400. Unimproved land was selling for $7.00 per acre.
Dawson had several gins and had shipped 3,000 bales of cotten in 1883.
1883 Dawson, also, boasted a "Splendid Coronet Band," a literary society, and a
"good class" of business men.
The cotton oil mill was built in 1901. Mainstream religious denominations
constructed houses of worship. Schools were built and enlarged. More residences were
built to house the increasing population.
By l933, Spring Hill businesses had been reduced to the Spring Hill store located on the
"Brushie" corner and Pete Bill's Blacksmith Shop across the street. The
Spring Hill School was located just north of the store and was used on a rotation basis by
various church denominations for Sunday School and worship services. Vacant lots had
increased year after year as houses were moved, torn down, or burned.
THE
CITY OF DAWSON
Dawson was a bustling community with many activities. The railroad station was the
center of commerce, bringing in manufactured goods from all parts of the United States and
of the world. Salesmen, "Drummers" they called them in those days for they were
on the road to "Drum" up business...came to Dawson on the train, bringing
samples of all manner of exciting merchandise..and sometimes, a few "raunchy"
traveling salesmen stories that were whispered to men, always well out of earshot of
Dawson's ladies.
Early newspapers recorded many special events organized by the citizens of the town.
There were lavish balls, complete with live music..and refreshments. Churches
always produced their share of exciting activities....revivals..."protracted
meetings" they were sometimes called. There were young people's activities and
"musicals."
Dawson was filled with businesses of all types common to the small towns that had sprung
up along the railroads throughout the Lone Star State. Blacksmith shops were always a
necessity and they were more than a "fixin' place" for farm equipment. The
blacksmith could do just about everything from shoe horses...sharpen plows..make a new
axle for gas automobiles...make hinges for the garden gate..to making a toy for some
child.
There were grocery stores and meat markets and bakeries There was the harness shop
with rows of saddles that straddled wooden "horses." Bridles hung from
hooks high on the walls. And the smell of the tanned leathers at the harness shop
was an adventure in itself. There were "dry good" stores and
"variety" stores, sometimes called "The Racket" Store. Later, Dawson
could boast of automobile dealerships...and..a "So-de-water" plant just south of
the Tabernacle and across the street from the small metal clad building that housed The
Dawson Herald, the weekly newspaper owned, edited, and pujblished by F H Butler.
And..there were drug stores. Drug stores were very important. Yes, drugs were
dispensed, but the real...the really important function...was the marble soda fountain
that served delicious concoctions of every description.
There were ice cream sodas, malted milk shakes,
Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper..ice cream sundaes..and banana splits. And there was grape
juice...not just plain everyday grape juice, but..Welsh's Grape Juice served over crushed
ice in a Coca Cola glass.
It was at the drug store where young people gathered on Saturday nights for some
preliminary "courtin'." They sat on chairs made of heavy wire frames and a
small round wooden
WESTERN
NAVARRO COUNTY PIONEERS
North Ireland to Richmond, Georgia
To Tennessee
To Alabama
To Mississippi
To Kentucky
To Illinois
To Western Navarro Co. Texas
Many of the families living in and around Dawson, Texas in the early 1930s were
descendents of those who had come to the area before the arrival of the railroad and the
founding of the Town of Dawson itself. Many of their families had come to The
Mexican Territory of Texas with Sterling Clack Robertson and settled between the Brazos
and Trinity Rivers. Some came first in 1831, men traveling on horseback from
the Duck River of Middle Tennessee where they had been recruited after listening to
Robertson tell of the wonders and opportunities of Mexican Texas.
Those who rode horseback in 1831 and those who followed were the sons and daughters of
pioneers who had settled the Duck River area of Middle Tennessee during the first decade
of the 1800s. Their fathers had cleared the canebrakes that covered the land
and established plantations where cotton had become King after Eli Whitney of Savannah,
Georgia invented a machine to pull fibers from cottonseed. Tons of baled cotton were
loaded on small ships that moved North on the Tennessee River until the Ohio River was
reached and then South on the Mississippi to New Orleans and the outside world. The
uninhabited and inexpensive land of 1805 was now filled with people and the price of land
prohibited young families from having what their fathers had created. They
followed the pattern of pioneer spirit that had brought their parents to Tennessee and
moved themselves to new pioneer areas.
And where their parents from? They had come...for the most part...from parts of
Virginia and the Carolinas, especially from Augusta Co., Virginia..and Rowan Co., North
Carolina. One group had left Williamsburg Co., South Carolina in 1806 and had
purchased 20,000 acres of land from the General Nathaniel Greene grant....land given to
General Green for his service in the American Revolution. Their parents and
grandparents had settled those area in the 1700s. Some were displaced Germans,
some were Quakers, but most could trace their heritage to three or four counties of North
Ireland.
Many had lived in the area where present day North Carolina,Virginia, and Tennessee
converge and were part of the group of 3,000...some say 1200...who gathered on the
Wautauga River banks under the Command of General Sevier. It was there that they listened
to the fiery sermon of the Reverend Samuel Doak who had settled there as early
as 1780. The "Over the Mountain Men" were quiet as he closed his
sermon with a stirring prayer that was remembered as they marched to The Battle of Kings
Mountain and where they soundly defeated the British army.
Their parents and grandparents had migrated from Scotland and Wales in the late 1600s to
an are in the North of Ireland where the British had driven Irish Lords from their lands.
They were pioneers whose descendents would settled the Eastern Seaboard of America
in the early 1700s, the Mountains of North Carolina and the Hills of Kentucky in the
1780s, the Duck River of Tennessee in the early 1800s, and...Western Navarro County, Texas
in the 1830s.
Records of family names found in 1600-1700 files of County Down and County Antrim in North
Ireland...Ulster...are filled with many names found in the 1930 Telephone Directory of
Dawson, Texas. Names include Hill, Lawrence, Fullerton, McCandless, Wilson,
Thompson, Davidson, Floyd, Harris, Shaw, Adams, Lyle, Dickson, Garner, Savage, Graham,
Moore, McCullough, Hull, Barnes, Wright, Caskey, Matthews. and many more.
Some landed in America at Philadelphia, moved Westward to Indian country and headed
South down the Shenendoah Valley to spill over into Eastern Tennessee and North
Carolina.
Some landed at Charleston, settled in South Carolina for a time, particularly at the
Scotch-Irish community of Williamsburg.
The term "Scotch-Irish" has been used for generations and many individuals
believe they are of Irish descent because some older relative used the term to describe
heritage. These people were not Irish and would for one second
claim Irish blood. These people were Scots...and Welch..and English....who lived for
a century or more in North Ireland-Ulster. When they came to America and were
questioned as to their heritage they explained that they were Scots who had lived for
several generations in Ireland. That explanation took some time and the term
"Scotch-Irish" was coined and has been used extensively for more than two
hundred years. These people were, as well, individuals who were strong
Presbyterians who adhered to a Calvinistic theology that instilled high moral standards
and an emphasis on literacy. Right was right and wrong was wrong.
They had found battles in Ireland to protect their religious freedom and they would do the
same in America.
They were, as well, fiercely loyal to William of Orange who had been their Protestant King
of England and who had broken the siege at Londonderry. They were often referred to as
"Billy Boys." Many settled in the hills that rose on each side of
the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where they were known as "Those Billy Boys who
lived in the Hills." Their neighbors had coined still another name
for these hardy pioneers...."Hillbillies!" Their sons and
their towns were given the name William. Their daughters often the name
"Orange." Macca Orange McCandless came to Texas in 1835 from
Tennessee, married Joseph Thompson Lawrence in 1847, moved to the headwaters of Richland
Creek in 1856 where she lived...and died.
Some of the families moved frequently...and to what must have been in those days...far
away places. Some families came first to Charleston SC, to Rowan Co. NC, to Bourbon
Co. KY, to Maury Co. TN, to Robertson's Colony, to Western Navarro Co. Texas.
Dread Dawson had come to Texas near 1818 from Alabama...or the Florida Panhandle...and his
son, Brit Dawson, had settled in Western Navarro Co. Texas by 1847. One
reference to the Dawson Family had mentioned Greene Co. Georgia. Research
identified Greene Co. as having been formed from Richmond Co. Georgia and when a search
was made of Richmond Co. pioneers, the names of Western Navarro Co. Texas pioneers
appeared like Johnson Grass in the Akers Bottom.
RICHMOND CO. GEORGIA &
WESTERN NAVARRO CO. TEXAS
The Dawson Family of Richmond Co. Georgia was there in a big way. Brittain
Dawson had died there in 1795 and was, apparently, one of the leaders of Low Country
Georgia on the Savannah River. Richmond Dawson had sold 114,000 acres of Ogechee
River land in 1794 to a Mr. John Cobb, "later of Philadelphia."
David Dawson had purchased 1000 acres of land on McBeans Creek.
Brittain Dawson had given a slave as a Christmas Gift to his new grandson William
Arrington Bugg. The deed date was December 26, 1885.
William Barron died there in 1790, but the name John Barron appeared in early Robertson
County and the name appears as Commanding Officer on the bronze plaque at the entry of the
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame at Waco, Texas. The Barron family was
found early at Spring Hill. Newt Barron married Alta Wheelock in the 1930s.
Dr. George Graves who died in 1820 lived in Richmond Co. Georgia with his wife, Mary.
Their children included: Mary Ann, George, Caroline Cassandra, Thomas,
John Baptist, Sarah, and Cloe Martha. Siblings were Humphrey Graves and Cloe Graves.
There was a Thomas Graves with Robertson's Colony. W T
Graves and his family lie buried at Liberty Hill Cemetery. Audie Graves
married one of the Lawrence girls and lived in Dawson for many years.
John Sidwell married Catherine in 1782 and lived in Richmond Co. Their children were
Nathan, Mary, Hannah, James, and Sussanah. A century later Warren Sidwell buries his
wife and son at Spring Hill Cemetery and moves on West to begin a new life.
Robert Parrish has died at Campbellton, Richmond Co. Georgia in 1795. Eaton Parrish
and William Parrish were living in Maury Co. Tennessee in 1850. Their
mother, Mary, born 1775, lived with them. Parrish families came to Western Navarro
Co. Texas in the early 1850s with the Caskey and Adams families. And who would
ever forget the Robert Parrish who married Cleo Matthews, who accumulated considerable
acreage at Spring Hill, and was often referred to as "The Mayor of Spring Hill,
Texas."
Jean Hill was a widow in Richmond Co Georgia in 1820. Her sons were James and George
Hill. Her grandchildren were Thomas and Sarah Hull. Hull families
were found in the middle 1800s at Maury Co. Tennessee and on the Blackland southeast of
Dawson in the 1900s.
William Skinner lived in Richmond Co. Georgia in the early 1800s with his
children.....John, Thomas, Leavington, Seaborn, and William. They surfaced
again in Tishomingo Co Mississippi in the 1850s, and in Western Navarro Co. Texas in the
1880s where Mabel Skinner married Houston Akers and where the Skinner Brothers Gin at
Purdon was located.
John Love was a "Schoolmaster" at Augusta, Richmond Co. Georgia.
Members of the Love Family fought Indians as a part of Robertsons Colony and, later,
served as lawmen for Navarro Co. Texas.
William C. Lawrence was an 1817 merchant at Augusta, Richmond Co. Georgia. William C.
Lawrence was listed on General Sam Houston's list of those who fought at San Jacinto.
Henry McCullough married Sally Tally in Richmond Co. Georgia. Two McCullough
families, one at Liberty Hill, another at Spring Hill....settled Western Navarro Co. Texas
James Pendergast married Sally Rogers in Richmond Co. Georgia in 1784. The
Pendergast names appear again and again in Robertson's Colony. George
Rogers married one of Brit Dawson's daughters. A granddaughter was
names....Sally Mae.
The names of Turner.... Wilkerson... Wilson... Ward... Sykes... Currey...
Culbreath.... were
common Richmond Co. Georgia family names.
The name Currey was found several times on the Tax Records of Richmond Co. Georgia.
Alexander Currey, Robert Currey, William Currey. One
Mr. Curry married one of the Garner daughters in Mississippi and was already settled in
Western Navarro Co. Texas when the main family arrived.
William Hoge served as an "Appraiser" in 1787 for the estate of John Matthews
whose wife was Mary. The Hoge Family was found in Maury Co. ennessee....later in
Florence, Alabama, which is located just south of Maury Co. Tennessee. William
Elbert Hoge and Curt Taliaferro left the Florence area in the 1870s and headed for
Dresden, Texas where his uncle, a Baptist preacher, lived. Chris
Taliaferro had married Sarah K Newby and they executed a deed in Richmond Co. Georgia in
1829. Bettie Newby married John Martin Davidson and lived on the "Old
Cowhead Road" just east of The Spring Hill Cemetery.
Robert and Amy Savage were there and their son, The Reverend Lovelace Savage, was pastor
of the Baptist Church of Christ in 1788. Charles Dawson had sold the
site where the church had been built. A century later, George Washington Savage,
born 1826, arrived in Western Navarro Co. Texas...probably from Grayson Co. Texas via
Missouri...and married a daughter of Macca Orange McCandless Lawrence.
And...would you believe that John Clemmons married Ann Wilson in Richmonds Co Georgia in
1798? The Clemons and Wilsons and Graham families became institutions on The
Blackland South of Dawson.
Wilson Calhoun married Rachael Triplett there in 1792. Was he related to J D
Calhoun who lived for many years just South of the railroad and across from the
cattle pens in Dawson. His was the only house in Dawson with a basement.
John Cook, a blacksmith, has married Elizabeth Bins in 1797.
Susanna Cook, born in 1791, was a widow living in Maury Co. Tennessee in 1830 with sons
Patrick and Felix. A W Cook was named Robertson Co. Surveyor in 1838 and two
Cook families lived in early Spring Hill, Texas. Walter Cook married Jimmy
Akers and had two sons....John Cook and W. M. Cook.
H. Silbert Dry Goods was an institution in Dawson from the 1890s through the 1930s.
Michael Silbert lived in Richmond Co. Georgia in 1817 with his wife, Mary.
His children were Joseph Silbert, Julian Silbert, Thomas, Silbert.
A daughter, Elizabeth Silbert, had married Nathan Leeds. This
Richmond Co. Georgia family appeared to be Jewish as was H. Silbert who had arrived in
Dawson in 1895.
Hugh Fullerton had married Rebecca Dove there in 1799 and was, probably, a brother or
uncle of Henry Fullerton who did not leave Ireland until c1818.
Henry Fullerton was said to have lived for a time in South Carolina before migrating to
Texas in c1830. Nancy Walker, sister of Elizabeth Walker who was the first
wife of Brit Dawson, married Henry Fullerton, Jr. They settled at
Liberty Hill c1859 and had a large family. The Dove name surfaces in
Navarro Co Texas in the name of Nellie Dove Terry, daughter of Herod H. Terry whose wife's
maiden name may have been Dove. Nellie Dove Terry married Robert Daws Wright
of the Liberty Hill Wrights.
John Flint married Margaret Butler at Richmond Co. Georgia in 1807. David Flynt
operated the Porter's Bluff ferry in the 1850s. Porter's Bluff was
located near the Navarro Co-Ellis Co line on the Trinity River in an area known early at
"The Buffalo Crossng." Several Flynt families lived in
Dawson. John Flynt married Sadie Lawrence, a daughter of Uncle Billy
Lawrence whose Mother had been Emily Dawson. F H Butler, long the editor
of The Dawson Hearld, did not arrive until c1900.
Mann Sims and Andrew G Sims were living in Richmond Co Georgia in 1786, Frederick and Ben
Sims in 1798. Benjamin Sims was found in Lincoln Co. Tenn, J Fred Sims
was born 1854 in Maury Co. Tennessee, came to Texas in the 1870s, and with his brother,
owned a gin in Dawson.
TheSpence Family lived in four adjacent Georgia counties in 1820 and they migrated from
there to Illinois. David Spence, born 1840 at Cask Co. Illinois,
came to Texas with his father, W P Spence. David Spence married Elizabeth Dawson,
daughter of Brit Dawson.
The Wells Family was in Richmond Co. Georgia. Benjamin Wells had died and left
his widow, Mary. Humphrey Wells, "Practitioner of Physic, " lived with his wife,
Abigail, next door to the church in Augusta.
The Dawson Family has been traced to Western Navarro Co. Texas from George to Alabama to
the Sabine River area of Texas...to Robertson's Colony. The Spence family was
traced from Richmond Co. Georgia to Illinois..to Robertson's Colony...to Western Navarro
Co. Texas. The Silbert Family of Richmond Co. Georgia...must......have been
ancestors of H. Silbert of Dawson. The Fullertons of Richmond Co.
Georgia..must...have been related to the Fullertons of Liberty Hill.
And add the names of Loveless, Walker, Hill, and Wright to the list. All
Richmond Co. Georgia families in the 1790-1820 era....found later in Alabama, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Mississippi and possibly in Missouri....who migrated eventually...to Western
Navarro Co. Texas.
It is more than coincidence!
"I Remember Hubbard City,
Texas"
Carl W "Tubby" Matthews Jr.
THE PROFESSIONALS
The Great Depression was supposed to have been at an end in 1940, but, somehow, the word
had missed Hubbard City, Texas. Cotton "choppin'" was still
$1.00 per day and younger teenagers commanded ten cents per hour working in the grocery
stores. Older boys earned fifteen to twenty cents per hour and men with families had
paychecks of less than twenty dollars for a week that included sixty to seventy hours.
There were, however, admitted tradeoffs. Admission to Chester Neece's
"Picture Show" was still a dime and one dollar would purchase a pair of khaki
pants at Sam Tobolowsky' s store. Rosa Hernandes had the best nickel chilidog in all
of Texas. Bull Durham and Dukes Mixture, complete with papers, were a nickel per bag
and the matches were free.
Dollars in the pockets of farm boys had dwindled to quarters by Christmas and by late
spring even nickels were scarce or non-existent. It was in the spring that the
inspiration for earning money with musical talent surfaced. Royce B.
Reaves, Gene Suddeth, and I had been having great fun playing musical instruments together
and someone said that we had a "Band."
Royce had been a "professional musician" since he was about seven.
His chubby face, barely visible over the huge guitar that he
played, belted out favorite tunes like "Old Shep" and traditional Gospel songs
to "Church Sangin's," town "Musicals." "Talent Contests,"
and "Medicine Shows." Royce was a "Musical Institution" by
the time he graduated from Dover and came to High School at Hubbard.
Gene had always wanted a Banjo and in one of Gene's weaker moments, some Hubbard
entrepreneur sold him one. The only problem was that he couldn't
play it. Royce and Gene became "Buddies" and, together, they determined
how to tune that Banjo and began to locate finger positions that would produce chords
compatible with those Royce played on the guitar.
My family had moved to Hubbard from Dawson in the summer of 1939 and my home was near
where Mr. Floyd Raley lived. Mr. Raley was a well known country "fiddler"
who had known myfamily for many years and whose sons became skilled musicians.
Randall Raley became a music professor at Hardin Simmons University and played with the
Ft. Worth Symphony. I visited the Raleys most every day and listened to Mr.
Raley as he played his fiddle. Time passed and he began to teach me some of what he
knew about "fiddlin'" and, after a few weeks, I was playing simple tunes.
I was thrilled!
My real thrill came one afternoon when Mr. Raley announced that he had a surprise for me
and he pulled out an old fiddle that his sons had played many years before.
Hardened Lepage's Glue could be seen between the cracks on the back. The neck had,
apparently broken off at some point and more Lepage's Glue was evident in the
repair. The bow had lost most of its hair and had a distinctive
curve "toward the Jones Place," but I was "Proud as Punch" with my
fine new instrument. I had no case, but I always wrapped it carefully in a flour
sack.
I mentioned to Gene that I had been playing the fiddle with Mr. Raley and he invited me to
sit in with him and Royce. I had never played with
"professionals" before and tried to do my best, but Mr. Raley had not taught me
anything about "chords" or "notes." I just
played "by Ear" and when Royce yelled at me for changing "Chords" in
the middle of "Over The Waves" I had no idea what he was talking about.
Gradually, the three of us got our act together. My fiddle carried the
lead and Gene and Royce attempted to follow....as best they could!
I would begin a tune in B-Flat and finish playing in
"C-Sharp" or somewhere. Royce accused me of "playing in
the unknown tongue" and Gene chorded his banjo and hummed, "Wherever He
Leads I'll go."
Somewhere about that time we discovered that there were things in life more important than
guitars and banjos and fiddles.....Girls! And...being the musicians that we
were we sought out...and found....girls with musical talent. I had met a cute
little girl who played a pretty good guitar, sang beautifully, and her mother made a
"mean Chocolate cake." Her name was Zoette Vardeman. Her
Father and Mother sang and we enjoyed some great "jam sessions" at the
Vardeman house. The cake wasn't bad, either.
Gene, in the meantime, cast his eye and ear and heart in the direction of Adel Horn who
could sing and yodel and laugh and possessed a mischievous smile. They
celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary several years ago. Adel is
still singing and yodeling and laughing and still has that mischievous smile.
Royce, somehow, never did take up to a girl with real musical talent.
Now that may not be exactly true. There were several girls who played
"musical chairs" with Royce and we never knew from one week to the
next which girl would land in his lap.
We began to play on Thursday mornings at the High School , at the Lions Club luncheon
meeting at the Methodist Church, and once, we entered a "Talent Contest" at the
Community building and won First Place. Someone said that really wasn't anything to
brag about because we were the only ones who entered. We lost, later, to a one
arm man who played a musical saw.
And...we played for a country dance or two. Now that was exciting!
We could feel the old vacant country houses bounce to the beat and the mixed
aroma of kerosene from the lanterns, Ben Hur perfume on the sweaty bodies, stale beer, and
Italian Girl wine was unforgettable.
We were now ready for the "Big Time!"It was Springtime and none of us had any
money. When we broke a ten cent string on one of our instruments we were
immediately in the midst of a financial calamity. Dates were limited to musicals at
some home, Sunday evening at church, and, on rare occasions, a triple date in Mr. Reeve's
1938 Ford powered with "tractor gas" and equipped with some device that guided
the vehicle to The "74" School House.
The "74" School House was a well known ...uh... recreation area which had become
famous for "raslin'" matches, games of "Post Office" and "Pony
Express," and where girls sometimes teased boys about being foreigners because they
had Roman eyes and Russian hands. "Post Office" was an old fashioned
game widely accepted by most all young people. "Pony Express" was a lot
like "Post Office," but involved a little more "horsin'" around.
Sometimes, when things became dull, Royce, Gene, and I would remove our
instruments from the trunk of the car and strike up a tune or two.
Bob Wills had named his band, "The Texas Playboys," and if Bob Wills had a name
for his band, it was time we had a name for for ours. Harold Crews was,
at times, credited with providing the name, but Gene remembers otherwise. Gene
remembered that it was in the Reeves cotton field where he and Royce were chopping
cotton and thinking about a name for the band. Chopping cotton provides a lot
of time for meditation and in one inspired moment the name, probably, appeared across the
sky...."Royce Reeves and his Ramblin RowHoers." It was,
probably, very, very hot that day.
A "Financial Calamity" must have existed one day as I day dreamed in the Study
Hall of Hubbard High School and became inspired with the thought of having our
"Band" play for some money the following Saturday. My "Indian
Chief" tablet was soon filled with the names of businesses located on Main Street,
beginning with Tobolowsky's Store and listing one business after another.
Royce Reeves and his "Rollin' RowHoers", would offer their professional musical
talents to Hubbard businesses. Professional Musical services were to be offered in
fifteen-minute blocks at a cost of twenty-five cents per block. I could barely wait
for school to end and I could race to downtown Hubbard to have businesses sign up.
Sam Tobolowsky, our first prospect, wanted two slots....fifty cents worth. Jones Brothers
Grocery wanted two. WOW! Down the street we went...Terrell's
Cafe, Schwartz Dry Goods, Keitt Drug Store, Rip Priddy's, Hunt's Grocery, Logan's Cafe,
Safeway, and Creamland. Our excitement was high and 2:00 pm on Saturday
seemed years away.
It was 1:30 pm when we gathered on the corner by Tobolowsky's Store. "We"
included the three boys plus Zoette Vardeman, Adele Horn, and whatever girl Royce had on
his lap at the time. We began to play and a small group of the Saturday
afternoon crowd began to gather to listen. We completed the Tobolowsky gig,
collected our fifty cents and moved on down the street. Sometimes, business
were so "overwhelmed" with our talent that they requested us to play an
additional fifteen minutes...for another quarter.
Heber Logan had us come into his restaurant and play, rather than play on the street, and
we felt like we were on our way to becoming "The NEW Bob Wills Band."
The peak of the experience came with our "gig" at Creamland. We had
a large group of fans by that time and they followed us inside, a situation that pleased
the Creamland management to no end. When we had played our contracted time and began
to go, "Too Tall" Vaughn told us to stay put and began passing his hat among the
crowd. The nickels and dimes jingled and jangled and "The Band Played ON!"
Later that night, the six of us gathered in a booth at Logan's Cafe to count the
"Loot" collected and to enjoy the fruits of our first...and last...professional
musical experience. The world beyond Hubbard, Texas was already in turmoil and the
events of the coming months would affect all of our lives. Little did we know that
the following Spring that I would be in Pago Pago, Samoa and soon after that Gene would be
in India and Royce was somewhere with the U S Army.
More than fifty years have passed, but today, when I hear "Chinatown, My
Chinatown," "Whispering," "The New San Antonio Rose," I
think about the Main Street of Hubbard, Texas and those "Professional Musicians"
who played on the street that Spring day in 1941.
THE
1940 FORD PICKUP
It sat in the middle of the field, surrounded by new blades of spring grass that
had poked through the black soil several miles southeast of Dawson.
"It" was a 1940 Ford Pickup and the field belonged to Mr. John
Merideth whose family had come early to Western Navarro Co. Texas.
My Dad had looked at and agreed to purchase fifty white faced steers owned by
Mr. Merideth and pastured up the road from the main house near where the 1940
Pickup sat.
I was finishing my first year at Baylor, and was home for the weekend, a
practice that was a mistake. I had made the Dean's List the previous
quarter, the one that wasn't announced in home town papers.
I had sold my 1934 Ford Tudor to Roger Webb Smith for $400. the week before and
I was desperate for transportation. When I inquired about the Pickup
Mr. Merideth responded by saying that it had burned the previous summer and hand
not been moved. The rusting cab and hood gave evidence that what Mr.
Merideth had said was true. He saw the Pickup as a pile of junk, but it
had a new motor and new transmission and was worth something. $300.
he said, and if the motor would not run he would give my money back.
Deal! My Dad didn't speak all the way home.
The following weekend I placed an old quilt over the burned seat springs and
steered it as someone towed me to Dwight Norris's Garage just north of
Weatherby's Ford Dealership. I do believe that everyone in Hubbard
thought the shell that exploded in the Pacific in 1944 had affected more than my
ear drum. The longer it sat behind Dwight Norris's Garage the
worse it looked. If I had bought a lemon I needed to quickly
begin making lemonade.
One day Dwight decided to see if the monster would crank. The burned wires
were replaced, the oil was changed, a battery installed. The
"Push Button" starter had burned, but Dwight exposed the wires and
connected them briefly when he was ready to try to crank. Wow!
The motor cranked and purred like a kitten. Well...sort of. Dwight
quickly tried the transmission. Yep, it worked as well. The door
mechanisms were drenched in oil, but remained very temperamental. The
tires appeared in good shape. I had transportation and I drove it
home with pride.
That summer, I hooked the Pickup to the two wheeled trailer that Daddy used to
haul cattle to the little slaughter house across the creek from Enoch Wilson's
place and went to Mr. Merideth to bring three of the steers to Hubbard.
A Black Boy who went by the name of "Doughbelly" and was always of the
streets of Hubbard went with me. I had removed the
temperamental doors several days earlier. "Doughbelly" and
I loaded the three steers into the trailer and headed for Hubbard.
We were moving along at a good clip when the trailer began to sway and the three
steers were adding their two tons to the swaying. I was prepared for the
Pickup to turn over and Doughbelly was already thinking of baialaing out through
the door opening.
I quickly shifted into Second Gear and "Put the Pedal to the Metal"
just as we started up a a small hill and the trailer straightened.
The Pickup moved slowly through Dawson and on to Hubbard.
I replaced the rotted wood of the Pickup bed with new two inch material and
began to use the Pickup to haul beef carcasses from the slaughter house to the
ice house where Dad had rented cooler space. I, also, began to use
it to deliver meat to restaurants and grocery stores in Waco and....use the trip
for an opportunity to visit a cute girl who lived on Waco's North side.
I would park in the alley so as not to embarrass anyone. It was
about that time that a terrible odor began to appear in the Pickup.
I could find nothing, but one day Mother...noticing the odor...discovered that
one of the workers had wrapped a pound or so of brains in a paper bag and forgot
about it.
One day I had delivered all the meat orders and was on my way to Waco's North
side, discovered that I had no brakes and sailed through a red light without
incident, through a service station bay and back into the street. I
could not shift down for I was already in low gear. Just as I
reached the street a family driving their new 1946 Olds was passing another car
and came on my side of the street...and I into the side of their new Olds.
Now a new car in 1946 was a thing to be prized and I will never forget the look
that the man's wife gave me. I apologized and gave the man $20.
One of the brake hoses had ruptured... from age or the fire... or both.
I had it replaced at the station.
The girl who lived on Waco's North side and her friend, who had dated Sam Akers
of Dawson, wanted to go to Galveston for a week of vacation . Sam
and I decided to go to with them. The girls had funds for a
hotel, but Sam and I didn't. We assembled bedrolls, tied a cow rope across
the Pickup door openings, hung an iron skilled and a kerosene lantern on the
side, and filled a "grub box" with bacon, canned beans, etc. We
found the girls when we arrived in Galveston and cooked steaks on the beach that
night. Sam and I carried the girls back to the hotel and returned to the
beach and went to sleep. The rain came at 3:00 am. We put our
bedrolls in the cab and drove to a closed service station to take advantage of
their canopy. We were sleeping soundly when the owner of the station
arrived..and told us to move on.
Tom Prince had wrecked his new 1946 Ford Pickup and I bought the damaged cab for
$100. I had one new doors, new seats, new wiring, speedometer, etc. Steve
Leary had arrived from Ahoskie, North Carolina for a visit and it was he who
solved the mysteries of where all those wires were to go and Dwight Norris's
brother-in-law repaired the little body damage that showed. We had
time to have a primer coat sprayed over the entire Pickup before Steve and I
left for his Uncle's place at Port Isabel on the Gulf Coast.
The monster ran great! That is...until we were well into an isolated
stretch of hiway in the middle of the King Ranch. It was there that
the monster died. It had been running great and Steve and I
checked and rechecked all that we knew to check. The hiway was
deserted and we had seen few cars all morning. We waited.
Finally, we saw a car coming from the North...and the man stopped to help.
He checked what we had already checked...nothing. He was getting in his
car and decided to try one more thing. He felt of the wire to the coil.
We had checked it and it was connected. However, he discovered that
someone had attempted to tighten the connection with an ill fitting nut and the
connection was not snug. He tightened it down and we were running again.
We enjoyed the hospitality at Port Isabell for a great week... deep sea fishing,
a trip to Matamoras, Mexico, and food prepared by the Mexican cook.
Our next destination was Houston.
My sister, Jean, was in Houston visiting Dolores Atchison, a relative of
Joe Mack Pless and who visited in Hubbard most every summer. Steve
and I were to stay with Mahlon Foster in an apartment. We had driven to
Houston in the cool of the night and arrived at Mahlon's about noon.
It was August and Houston was HOT when I left Steve in the Pickup while I
searched for Mahlon. When I returned, Steve was fit to be tied.
He was mopping his "sweating" brow, muttering something about never
coming back to Texas... and several other comments. We
showered and slept the afternoon.
Ina Ray Hutton and her "All Girl Band" was playing at one of the
Plantation night club and we had planned to attend that evening.
Steve and I dressed in our two-toned shoes, bow ties, and sport coats and drove
the monster to pick up Jean and Dolores. All was going well until
the Monster decided to die...again! This time we were on one of
Houston's busiest streets and in the inside lane. Off came our sport
coats and Steve and I began to push as Jean attempted to steer the Monster out
of the street. The heat and the situation had not given Steve or me
the best attitude and to make matters worse, Jean and Dolores were cracking up
over what had happened. I didn't think that it was funny...not that
funny.
We restarted the Monster and drove to the club. We bailed out of the
Monster and headed to the air conditioned comfort of the club, leaving the
Monster in the hands of the parking attendant who had viewed the Monster with
disdain.
We were beginning to cool when the public address system came on with an
announcement. "Will the party driving a Ford Pickup please come to
the valet parking desk. The attendant has been unable to stop the
engine." I had forgotten to instruct the attendant to
disconnect the wires.
The next trip, after I had painted the Monster a bright red, was to Decatur,
Texas. Joe Mack Pless and I went there to check out the college where we
would attend and be room mates that fall. By that time I had spotted a
1940 Ford Coupe that I wanted to purchase. The next week one of the Summerland
boys offered me $875. for the Monster and I persuaded myself to accept. It
was like losing an old friend.
DAWSON
REMEMBERED
Dawson was a bustling community with many activities. The railroad station was the
center of commerce, bringing in manufactured goods from all parts of the United States and
of the world. Salesmen, "Drummers" they called them in those days for they were
on the road to "Drum" up business...came to Dawson on the train, bringing
samples of all manner of exciting merchandise..and sometimes, a few "raunchy"
traveling salesmen stories that were whispered to men, always well out of earshot of
Dawson's ladies.
Early newspapers recorded many special events organized by the citizens of the town.
There were lavish balls, complete with live music..and refreshments. Churches
always produced their share of exciting activities....revivals..."protracted
meetings" they were sometimes called. There were young people's activities and
"musicals."
Dawson was filled with businesses of all types common to the small towns that had sprung
up along the railroads throughout the Lone Star State. Blacksmith shops were always
a necessity and they were more than a "fixin' place" for farm equipment.
The blacksmith could do just about everything from shoe horses...sharpen plows..make a new
axle for gas automobiles...make hinges for the garden gate..to making a toy for some
child.
There were grocery stores and meat markets and bakeries There was the harness shop
with rows of saddles that straddled wooden "horses." Bridles hung from
hooks high on the walls. And the smell of the tanned leathers at the harness shop
was an adventure in itself. There were "dry good" stores and
"variety" stores, sometimes called "The Racket" Store. Later, Dawson
could boast of automobile dealerships...and..a "So-de-water" plant just south of
the Tabernacle and across the street from the small metal clad building that housed The
Dawson Herald, the weekly newspaper owned, edited, and pujblished by F H Butler.
And..there were drug stores. Drug stores were very important. Yes, drugs were
dispensed, but the real...the really important function...was the marble soda fountain
that served delicious concoctions of every description. There were ice cream
sodas, malted milk shakes, Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper..ice cream sundaes..and banana splits.
And there was grape juice...not just plain everyday grape juice, but..Welsh's Grape
Juice served over crushed ice in a Coca Cola glass.
It was at the drug store where young people gathered on Saturday nights for some
preliminary "courtin'." They sat on chairs made of heavy wire frames and a
small round wooden seat. The small tables were, also, made of the heavy wire frames.
Later, the drug stores modernized and had heavy tables with glass tops and a
swinging seat attached to each of the corners. The tables were covered with heavy
glass that displayed merchandise....comb and brush sets, hand mirrors, cosmetics,"Ben
Hur" parfum, Brilliantine hair oil,
etc.
Jim Martin and Spart Berry owned "mule barns" located just south of the railroad
track. Dawson was smack in the middle of cotton country and mules were a necessity.
Local mules were bought and sold, but some mules were shipped into Dawson on the
railroad cars.
Ice was shipped to Dawson from Corsicana or Hubbard and stored in large rooms with walls
heavily insulated with cottonseed hulls. Several steps led from the dirt street to the
porch of the ice house that offered crude benches for workers.. and for others who
"hung around" when they had nothing else to do. Blocks of ice weighed
three hundred pounds and the "ice men" were strong backed men who met the public
with smiles. "Ice men" were celebrities of sorts who wore heavy leather
aprons on their backs and drove "ice wagons" up and down the streets of Dawson.
"Ice wagons" were special wagons with a seat high above the front wheels and
were usually painted with bright colors. Signs were painted by near artists on each
side that announced to the public the name of the establishment.
"Ice wagon" horses were always dressed in the most colorful harness available.
Hames were topped with large, brightly polished brass balls with red tassels
sometimes attached. Bridles included "blinders" on the side of each eye,
designed to keep the beautiful animals from being distracted. "Ice house"
horses always wore "breechin," a special harness that fitted over the rear of
the horses and was a means of braking the wagon when the "ice man" called
"Whoa!" "Ice Wagon" horses were very smart. They moved
forward and stopped on voice command from the "ice man" who stood on a little
platform that hung from the rear of the wagon.
Most people did without ice until really warm...iced tea weather.. arrived. The
"ice men" served the business district first thing every morning and then began
a regular route throughout the residential areas of the town. Printed l2 X l2 cards
bearing large numbers..25,50,75,100... were given to each customer..as were free ice picks
bearing the company name. The cards could be rotated to indicate the pounds of ice
needed and were placed in front windows of homes so the ice man could see from the street
just how much ice to leave.
It was thrilling to watch as the iceman pulled a large three hundred pound block of ice
from the front of the wagon to the rear and..with the skill of an artist...cut the ice
with his ice pick..into the desired sizes. Metal ice hooks bit into the ice and the
ice carried into the homes on the iceman's back, his back protected by the heavy leather
apron.
Ice men were always in a rush. Consequently, they never knocked on the doors of
homes as they entered. Instead, they called out in a loud voice...."ICE
MAN!"...as they came through the door. Women of the house scurried for cover if
they were not properly dressed. Sometimes... the ice man was faster than they had
expected. Such experiences were sometimes related to male groups who gathered on the
icehouse porch in the late afternoons. And..there were some hushed stories about
"The Ice Man" and some of the children born in the community.
Doctors offices were usually located on the second
floor of buildings in Dawson...probably, so no one could peek through windows while the
doctor was conducting an examination...especially in summer when every window was required
to be wide open to catch any breeze that might blow.
The hardware store was almost as important to the community as was the blacksmith
shop....not only to the farmers, but to townspeople as well. Hardware stores stocked
all manner of bolts and screws, knives, saws, pitchforks, horse collars, firearms and
ammunition, washtubs, hammers,...etc.
The hardware store, also, often served as mortuary. Bodies were placed in simple
pine boxes custom built by whoever worked at the hardware store. Early burials were
without embalming and funerals were held quickly following death. When a funeral was
delayed for whatever reason during warm weather it was common for the body to be placed in
the icehouse for a few days.
Funeral coaches were elaborate and ornate carriages custom built for that purpose.
Some had large plate glass windows on either side that placed the casket in full
view. Seating for two was high above the front wheels...for the driver and his
assistant. Black ribbons were often draped from each side, complete with large bows.
Fresh flowers...if they were available locally..were often placed on top of the
coach when the procession moved from the church to the cemetery.
Nate Wright had one of the old coaches in his barn until the early thirties.
It was then that his son, Neil and Fred Jr. Matthews hitched some horses to it and wrecked
it.
DAWSON
CHURCHES
Churches were a most important part of the Town of Dawson. Religious life was
serious business for most citizens and only the reprobates and the
"ner-do-wells" failed to find their way to Sunday Services. Preachers were
always well respected and given a place of honor in the community. "Preacher
Pay", however, did not often reach such lofty heights. Some preachers did not
tarry long in Dawson.
The Methodist Church was located in "The Frog Level" part of town..two or three
blocks south of the railroad tracks, nestled in a beautiful grove of large oak trees.
The Methodist parsonage was located one block north.
The Baptist Church was located several blocks north of the railroad and was one block east
of Main Street. The Great Awakening had given Baptists a boost and membership in
that denomination was expanding rapidly. Baptist "Evangelists" appeared
regularly in the Baptist Churches, often bringing with them individuals gifted in leading
congregational singing. The Baptist were, as well, strong on organized "Sunday
Schools," a fact that contributed to growth of the congregations.
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church which had been brought to Dawson by many of the
families who had settled there from Southern Middle Tennessee was first located on North
main street on the corner just South of where the Baptist Church is presently located.
The building was later moved one block east of Main Street just north of the
business district. The Presbyterians were never as aggressive or as evangelistic as
the Baptist and Methodist, but their group always included many of the movers and shakers
of the community.
The Church of Christ was a block or so north of the Baptist Church. The church didn't have
a piano, but they always had several high powered singers. Members of other
denominations often referred to the group as "Camelites," and members of the
Church of Christ seemed to resent being called such. Turned out that they were
really followers of Alexander Campbell who had begun a new Christian church in Tennessee
which emphasized baptism by immersion and prohibition against musical instruments in the
worship services.
And Dawson had a Tabernacle...built in 1903... that was utilized by all denominations.
The Tabernacle was located just east of the business district across from the
Presbyterian Church and along the banks of a little branch that ran through the town.
The Tabernacle was a large open-sided structure with a raised platform on the south
end. Revivals and "Protracted Meetings" usually brought out the troops
from all the church groups with the exception of the "Camelites." They
usually kept pretty well to themselves.
The platform at the tabernacle was for the choir, the religious leaders from the various
congregations, and, of course, the visiting dignitaries. The "Song
Heister"began recruitment of the choir as quickly as people began to arrive.
Women were easily recruited, but recruiting men was a real work of art. Everyone in
town knew pretty well what men would take their places in the choir, but some men would
play the game of"Hold out to the last minute." The "Song
Heister" would use every tactic to move the male "singer" from the
congregation to the choir, but "Mr. Hold-out" would rear back and put a silly
grin on his face as he looked at his girl friend or his wife. Finally, he
would....appearing reluctant...stand painfully to his feet...move slowly to the choir
area...and the seat of Musical Honor where he wanted to be in the first place.
The Tabernacle, also, served...at times, for other functions. Once, when Dawson had
a big 4th of July Parade and Rodeo, the Tabernacle was used as a large dining hall where
people ate a free bar-b-que meal. The Tabernacle was sometimes used for political
rallies. And..it was said that some of the older boys walked their girlfriends
through the Tabernacle on dark nights hoping to teach the girls to play the game called
"Pony Express." Someone said that Pony Express was a game that was a
little like "Post Office" except it involved a little more "horsing"
around.
And...Dawson had a school. The first buildings were small and of wood frame, but
they were centers of learning. Dawson, also, boasted in l882...THE DAWSON MASONIC
INSTITUTE, apparently a private school operated by W.T.Westmoreland. The school had
a principal and, at least, one teacher.
Most residences were constructed of wood frame with wood siding and solid wood interior
walls, covered, usually, with wall paper. The ceilings, as well, were covered with
wood boards covered with wall paper. Less expensive homes were "box
houses," that utilized one by twelve "Box" lumber to form the inside and
outside wall..and, erected vertically carrying the weight of the roof as well as well as
serving as the wall. Cracks between the one by twelve boards were covered with one
by two wood "bats." Roofs were covered with wood shingles. Many of
the "Box houses" had no ceilings and had eight foot partitions similar to
outside walls.
IX
THE DAWSON WATER SYSTEM
The "water system" was one of three. Many families had shallow wells which
were dug by hand to a point below the waterline. Wells were sometimes lined with rock, but
many were open to the raw earth sides. Wells lined with rock often continued the rock to a
point thirty or so inches above ground. Most other wells had a wooden box that
surrounded the hole. Heavy post were positioned on each side of the well and
connected with another heavy timber. A pulley was attached....usually with
"bailin' wore." A heavy rope was threaded through the pulley, tied to a
heavy bucket..and the water system was complete.
Dug wells, also, served as refrigerators. Some ingenious husbands would build boxes
that could be lowered into the well that would keep butter and sweet milk and clabber and
buttermilk several degrees cooler than the above ground temperature. Deeper wells
were cooler than those more shallow and, on a hot day, a drink of well water was most
refreshing.
I went with my Daddy many times to the "home place" at Spring Hill where he was
born and where he grew up. His brother, Uncle Virgil, lived there. Daddy
always went through the same routine each time we returned. Daddy would greet Uncle Virgil
and Aunt Oddy and then he would go to the well in back of the house..lower the bucket..let
it dip into the cool water..pull the bucket slowly to the top of the well box.
Sometimes, Uncle Virgil would have a "gourd" dipper hanging nearby and Daddy
would drink heartily. He would always say,"Carl Jr., that's the best water in
the world." And, I guess it was.
Almost every home had a "tin cistern." Tin Cisterns were large
circular thin metal tanks...six to eight feet in diameter and eight to twelve feet high.
Gutters...wooden or metal..caught "rain water" as it flowed off the roofs
of houses, through downspouts, and into the Tin Cisterns.
Dug wells and Tin Cisterns worked well until droughts came. but, sometimes, months would
pass without measurable amounts of rain. Farmers would first notice the absence of
moisture and the topic of every conversation would have some reference to dry conditions.
A persistent drought would diminish water being held in the tin cisterns and dug
wells would go dry. Wooden sleds, loaded with a large wooden barrel would be pulled
to the nearest stock tank or to the creek and filled with precious water. Some
droughts were longer than others, but, in the end...rain always came.
As Dawson grew, the need for some permanent water supply became acute and, at some point,
a deep well was dug on a little branch south of town. Everyone was hoping for a
gusher of cold sweet water, but, instead, the best that could be produced was an
abundance of...very salty..water. The salty water..was water..and pipes were laid
throughout the community, primarily for fire safety. The salt water was piped into
many homes and the citizens of Dawson found many uses for it. Cattle would drink the
salt water and the water trough in the wagon yard south of the depot offered the salt
water for many years. Fresh water did not flow through the Dawson water system until
the late thirties.
Submitted by Carl W
Matthews, Jr.
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